


With My Last Breath

by Wolfsblood5712



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Major Character Injury, One Shot, Pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26013865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfsblood5712/pseuds/Wolfsblood5712
Summary: The death of Hyrule's hero.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	With My Last Breath

As my blade ran through Ganandorf's heart, he dissolved into a puff of smoke. The Master Sword slipped from my hands, clattering as it fell to the stones at my feet. I neglected to retrieve it as I turned slowly, searching for her. She had to be okay... She had to be.

I simply wouldn't be able to bear it if she wasn't. 

At last, I saw her. She was afraid. Not for herself, but for me. She had been crying, and I hated that I had made her cry, but at least she was safe. I took a step towards her but, as my adrenaline faded, I lacked the strength to stand. I slipped in my own blood, and fell dizzily towards the ground. Her gentle hands caught me before I hit it.   
"Link, hold it together. Help is on the way. Just hold on..." She laid me gently on the ground and pulled open my bag, fumbling with a potion she found there. "Zelda... you're safe... now..." She looked at me, and I saw panic in her eyes. I tried to smile through the pain, to ease her fear... I had always hated seeing her hurt or afraid, especially when it was my fault. So many times I had ridden off to save Hyrule, leaving her behind to worry and to wonder if I would ever come back. She pulled me into her lap again, and gave me the potion she had finally manage to uncork. I'm not sure how much I actually swallowed. I was so weak. She found another and gave me that as well, but I knew that's all she would find. I had used the rest during my fight. She cursed softly as the potion didn't heal me like it should. My wounds were simply too great. "Just hold on, You can make it!" The words were a statement, but her voice was pleading. It was unsettling, almost, to see Zelda in this state. She was easily the strongest woman I had ever known; I had seen her face down entire armies without faltering. And yet, here she was, falling apart. I wished that I could assure her everything would be alright, but right now the words would be nothing short of cruelty. My blood flowed from my wounds without any sign of stopping. It stained her dress and her hands and I felt sorry that I had ruined her favorite dress... How funny, that something so trivial should mean so much to me in my final moments. Because... that's what these were, after all... I... was dying.

I met her eyes, and I was overwhelmed with love for her. "I'm... glad... it... was... me... not... you..." The words were hard to form, as every gasp of air sent a stab of pain through my bleeding body, and she silenced me quickly; she wanted me to save my strength. I closed my eyes, the pain rising to the forefront of my mind now that I had said all I had needed to. It was almost unbearable. It would be so easy to give in. To surrender to the darkness that threatened to swallow me. The pain would stop, then. I would be at peace. Peace... No... I had to stay strong. I had to be strong for Zelda. I didn't want to leave her... I smiled again, trying to give her courage; trying to give her hope, even if it was cruel. Even in my last moments, I denied myself the luxury of weakness to ease her burden. In truth, I was terrified, but I didn't want my princess to know that; not when she was already so distraught. So I drew on the Triforce's power to find courage once my own had run dry. Zelda kept talking to me, although it was not long before I had lost track of what she was saying. It was so hard to focus, but the sound of her voice was a welcome comfort. 

"Would... you... sing... for me...?" She paused at my interruption, puzzled. "Sing?" I smiled once more. "Always.... loved it... when you... sang..." I felt her finger brush my lips, silencing me as she began to sing. Despite the pain, her voice flooded me with warmth and joy, just as it always had. It took me back, to when we were nothing more than children. I had promised her, then, that we would always be together, but maybe some promises just couldn't be kept. I knew i would do this over and over again, for all of eternity, if it meant keeping her safe. Even as I lay dying in her arms, I was content with my fate. My only regret was that I'd broken that promise I'd made, so long ago. My bleeding had slowed down, but I wasn't sure if that meant I had begun to heal from the potion Zelda had given me, or if it meant I was running out of blood... and time. It was getting harder to focus. Zelda kept singing, and a tear slipped down my cheek as I realized my time was up. She would realize it too in a moment; I wasn't strong enough to stay with her. I heard a shout in the distance, followed by Zelda's excited reassurance that help had come and I was going I be okay. But I couldn't respond. I couldn't open my eyes. I heard her choke back tears as she tried in vain to rouse me, but I just couldn't wake up. Everything was fading so fast. I felt her tears splash against me as they finally fell.

I wanted-more than anything-to tell her it would be alright, but the words never left my throat. 

Her name was the last word to escape my lips, even as every sensation began to fade away. The pain was nothing but a dull throb now, rapidly growing weaker. Her broken sobbing was the last sound to reach my ears. No, don't cry, my princess. I love you, and I promise it will be okay. I promised, on that day when we met, that we'd... always... be together, so... I know... we'll... meet... again... someday...

**Author's Note:**

> Yeeeeah I'm a bad, mean person. (I actually legit cried while writing this lol like never even try killing characters you love guys it's too hard) But basically I had friend argue with me that you can't kill someone in a story when it's from their PoV and I was kinda like oh really soooooooo I was bound and determined to do it XD I know it's sad but I still feel like it's one of the better pieces I've written. Hope everyone liked it. And didn't cry... too much...


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